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1. (adv.) why
for what? for what reason or purpose?:
Why do you ask?
2. (conj.) why
for what cause or reason:
I don't know why he left.
3. why
for which; on account of which (usu. after reason to introduce a relative clause):
the reason why she refused to go.
4. why
the reason for which:
That is why he returned.
5. (n.) why
a question concerning the cause or reason for which something is done, achieved, etc.:
a child's unending whys.
6. why
the cause or reason:
the whys and wherefores of the Cold War.
7. (interj.) why
(used as an expression of surprise, hesitation, etc., or sometimes a mere expletive):
Why, it's all gone!
Etymology: (bef. 900; ME; OE hwī, hw&ymacr;, instr. case of hwætwhat ; c. ON hvī)
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| Definition of 'why' |
Princeton's WordNet |
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1. (noun) why, wherefore
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase `the whys and wherefores'
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1. (adverb) why
indicates or asks about the reason for sth
Why are you so late?; Why haven't they mentioned this before?; Scientists want to know why the star exploded.; Nobody knows the reason why she left.
2. why
why not ...?
used to suggest sth
Why not treat yourself to a day off?
3. why
used to agree to a suggestion
"Do you want to join us for lunch?" "Yeah, why not?"
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| Definition of 'why' |
Webster Dictionary |
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1. (adverb) why
for what cause, reason, or purpose; on what account; wherefore; -- used interrogatively. See the Note under What, pron., 1
2. (adverb) why
for which; on account of which; -- used relatively
3. (adverb) why
the reason or cause for which; that on account of which; on what account; as, I know not why he left town so suddenly; -- used as a compound relative
4. (noun) why
a young heifer
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Sense: for which reason (?)
`Why did you hit the child?'; `He hit the child.' `Why?'; Why haven't you finished?; `I haven't finished.' `Why not?'; `Let's go to the cinema.' `Why not?' (= Let's!); Tell me why you came here.
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 Afrikaans: hoekom |
 Arabic: لماذا؟ |
 Bulgarian: защо |
 Brazilian: porquê |
 Czech: proč |
 German: warum |
 Danish: hvorfor |
 Greek: γιατί |
 Spanish: por qué |
 Estonian: miks |
 Farsi: زیرا |
 Finnish: miksi |
 French: pourquoi |
 Hebrew: לָמָה, מַדוּע |
 Hindi: क्यों |
 Croatian: zašto |
 Hungarian: miért? |
 Indonesian: mengapa |
 Icelandic: af hverju, hvers vegna |
 Italian: perché |
 Japanese: なぜ |
 Korean: 왜, 어째서 |
 Lithuanian: kodėl |
 Latvian: kāpēc; kādēļ |
 Malay: mengapa |
 Dutch: waarom |
 Norwegian: hvorfor |
 Polish: dlaczego |
 Persian: زیرا |
 Pashto: ولې، څله، په كومه توګه، ل |
 Portuguese: porquê |
 Romanian: de ce |
 Russian: почему; зачем |
 Slovak: prečo |
 Slovenian: zakaj |
 Serbian: zašto |
 Swedish: varför |
 Thai: ทำไม |
 Turkish: neden, niçin, niye |
 Taiwanese: 為何 |
 Ukrainian: чому? |
 Urdu: کیوں |
 Vietnamese: tại sao |
 Chinese: 为什么 |
Get even more translations for why...
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| Alternative search options for 'why' |
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Definitions of why 
